1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to creating depth images which provide a visual impression of three-dimensional images using lenticular image forming techniques and, more particularly, to using electronic printing techniques where image forming scan lines are oriented in a printer fast scan direction, aligned with lenticules of a lenticular overlay and optimized for viewing distance and view point by adjusting distances between the scan lines, the image lines which comprise the scan lines and the sets of image lines formed under each lenticule, thereby producing improved quality lenticular depth images.
2. Description of the Related Art
Lenticular arrays or overlays are a known means to give images the appearance of depth. A lenticular image is created using a transparent upper layer having narrow parallel lenticules (half cylindrical lenses) on the outer surface and an image containing substrate or lower layer which projects images through the lenticules. The two layers form a lenticular system wherein each image is selectively visible as a function of the angle from which the system is viewed. If the depth image is a composite picture made by bringing together into a single composition a number of different parts of a scene viewed from different angles, each eye of a viewer will see different elements and the viewer will interpret the net result as depth of field. The viewer may also move his head with respect to the image thereby observing other views with each eye and enhancing the sense of depth. Each lenticule is associated with a plurality of image lines or an image line set and the viewer is supposed to see only one image line (or view slice) of each set with each eye for each lenticule. It is imperative that the line image sets be registered accurately with the lenticules, so that the proper picture is formed when the assembly is viewed. The precision required to create the registration necessary for a clear depth image using this technology has been a major obstacle in bringing this concept to market at a reasonable cost. A second major impediment to consumer acceptance is the inability of these systems to provide the desired depth effect when the viewer is positioned outside of a very narrow distance envelope from the image combined with the prior art systems inability to accurately regulate the location of the viewing envelope.